Black Pudding - Akaroa Butchery and Deli

Black Pudding – Akaroa Butchery and Deli

I also purchased some black pudding from the butcher’s shop in Akaroa, see the previous post. After I had selected the pudding, I enquired about it – the butcher told me they did not make it themselves, they sourced it from Peter Timbs in Christchurch.

This black pudding was cooked in a pan. I cut it lengthways before cooking. The ratio of chucky bits to finely ground filling is firmly in favour of the finely ground filling. Pieces of maize can be seen, along with other larger pieces.

Once cooked this sausage did not hold together. This sausage was a plain black pudding. If you are looking to try black pudding for the first time, this could be the one for you, it has a plain taste, with a small amount of pepper. This is a black pudding for the masses, if you are after a pudding that has a stronger or more complex flavour then look elsewhere.

I would not purchase this again as there are plenty of better examples of black pudding that are able to be purchased.

Pork Chorizo Sausage – Akaroa Butchery and Deli

Pork Chorizo Sausage – Akaroa Butchery and Deli

You won’t be surprised that while I was in Akaroa recently that I sought out the local butcher. A small variety of sausages were on display so I selected the chorizo and a black pudding.

 

 

The chorizo was cooked up once we got back to Wellington. The sausages lost a little shape in their journey to the North Island - being inside a carry-on bag on the plane meant that the tubes were a little squashed. During the cooking there was a small amount of oozing from the casing and a little bit of moisture also came out - this was a watery fat. Once they came out of the pan to rest, a large amount of watery fat oozed out.

 

 

These are a coarsely ground sausage but once cooked they are soft and malleable. The primary taste in the mouth is one of paprika. It is a moderate strength and does not overpower the meat. These chorizo are nice to eat but not fantastic. The whanau liked these sausages and they will appeal to people who are looking to eat a chorizo that is in the middle of the pack.

I would buy these again.

The Upside of the Earthquake

The upside to the earthquakes

You can get parking in Christchurch for $2 a day.

This weekend we went to Christchurch for a friend’s fiftieth birthday. Four classmates from Northcote College, on Auckland’s North Shore, got together to relive their youth and tell lies, truths and laugh about their life at secondary school and beyond. More than thirty years later, they live in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and London. I am married to one of these people.

I had not been to Christchurch since the big earthquake of February 2011. I was last there in late 2010 when the damage from the first earthquake was evident. This weekend I rode a bike from the house we were staying in to the centre of the city. There are large vacant plots of land where buildings once stood. When you get to the red zone you can see the damage to some of Christchurch’s landmarks. Below is the Art’s Centre and blocks that have fallen, or been removed, as the building is restored. The Cathedral in The Square has lost its spire. On the right hand side of the shot there used to be a block of buildings that have been demolished. There is still a great amount of work to be accomplished.

 

 

There is an upside, many vacant lots are available for car parking. You can park for $2 a day, which is very cheap. However I’m not sure we would want to have to go through an earthquake of that magnitude just to achieve such cheap parking.

 

My wife went to The Mediterranean Food Company and came back with some sausages from the Akaroa Butchery and Deli. These were mild Italian and chorizo. There was two of each. As I cooked these on the barbecue the question was asked by another guest, why are there only two?  As I replied I would have bought a minimum of six, or maybe eight. Anyway they cooked nicely and were served as a pre aperitif, that’s the special tasting you have before the aperitif for dinner.

The mild Italian are a pork based sausage with seasoning; parsley, sage and thyme, and maybe a hint of nutmeg also existed in the flavour. They are a pleasant but not spectacular sausage to eat. They are ground to a slightly more coarse texture than fine. These are ok sausages, and I would buy these again.

Cost per kilo: $22.00

 

The chorizo had the ingredients labelled as pork, wine, paprika, salt and garlic. On the continuum of chorizo that I have reviewed on this blog, this sausage is good. It is a medium spiced sausage. It was also pleasant to eat, in fact I could eat three or four of these if only my wife had provided for us better than she did. However as with the other sausage there are better examples around.   

Cost per kilo: $22.00

After the sausages were consumed, champagne was opened. Martin, our host, told us that my wife and other school friends who were there for the weekend had given him and his wife 24 champagne flutes for their wedding over 20 years ago. Until February 2011 they had not broken one. However after the big earthquake only four remained. These have now been replaced and the champagne, memories and laughter flowed.   If only there had been more sausages!